RETIRED Essendon full-back Dustin Fletcher says he feels frustrated by not knowing what he can pursue outside of football as part of his suspension in the Bombers' supplements scandal.

The 40-year-old opened up on Sunday for the first time since being barred from coaching his son, Mason, during the youngster's under-16s trial match for Calder Cannons last Tuesday.

Fletcher was not permitted to walk on to the field during the breaks and into the change rooms to pass on advice given he is one of the group of 34 past and present Bombers players that were handed 12-month bans by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

"Frustrated is more the word," Fletcher told Channel Nine on Sunday.

"It's more the unknown; you're just not sure of what exactly you can and can't do with it being written, even though you probably should know.

"I still feel a little bit embarrassed when I go out … because you know it's been such a massive scandal over a long period of time."

The Bombers' great was only allowed to sit in the stands for the entire trial match with his father Ken, a past Essendon captain who played 264 games for the club between 1967 to 1980.

Fletcher added that his suspension had also prevented him from coaching tennis and undertaking a course in a similar field.

"I'm not sure about the tennis coaching. I think that fell under the banner of they're a WADA sport, so you're obviously not allowed to tennis coach," he said.

"I was down to do a course on Monday and I got pulled out of that because it's the same type of thing."

Meanwhile, Fletcher said he hoped the 12 banned Essendon-listed players – skipper Jobe Watson, vice-captain Dyson Heppell, Brent Stanton, Michael Hurley, Michael Hibberd, Travis Colyer, David Myers, Cale Hooker, Tom Bellchambers, Heath Hocking, Ben Howlett and Tayte Pears – would all return to the club after serving their WADA-imposed suspensions.

Hocking has already signed a new one-year deal with the Bombers.

"I'd love every one of them to go back into the Essendon footy club," he said.

"I'd just love for them to go back next year, feel fresh and have a really good hit-out, and get Essendon back up to competing on an even level."

Fletcher became just the third person in VFL/AFL history last year to reach 400 games, joined later in the season by North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey.

The dual premiership player's career at the Bombers spanned 23 seasons, with flags in 1993 and 2000.

His son is seen as a future AFL prospect and possesses similar attributes to his father.